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I thought I'd share some resources...

I've been reading a lot of posts about looking/finding digi-scrap resources and drawing resources, so I thought I would share some resources that I have collected over the years...

I loveDeviantART for finding all kinds of tutorials and resources! I DeviantART. lol. For me, it's kinda like Pinterest is for some people: I could get lost for days on dA!

In the 9+ years that I have haunted that site, here are some of the resources I have "collected" (these are just my personal "bookmarks", so there are certainly more on there than just what I have found):

DeviantArt and I have a love hate relationship. I love it and I hate it! I love all the beautiful resources they have. I hate that when I go to that website, I spend hours and hours there and don't get anything else done...

Yes, Cat. Yes yes yes yes, oh my, so much YES! lol. That is me, too! I get sucked into dA and I have to set a timer to sort of snap me out of it or else NOTHING else gets done ALL day... all the pretty and the POTENTIAL... I have to collect it ALL... and I get mesmerized! And the worst part is that I am loving every lost minute!

I used to get this way with playing the Sims and MineCraft and World of Warcraft... so they got "black listed" and I am NOT allowed to participate in them any more because I lose SO much time in them. It's bad and I am ashamed of it. DeviantART toes this line - super addictive, but I find it to be a rather crucial resource to my productivity, too. /sigh

@ Fran. I agree. The vast majority of the artists on there are so very friendly and helpful! One of the things I love most about the site is that artists come together not only to share art but to share knowledge, skills, and techniques - from newbies to seasoned pros! SO many of them are open to answering questions and explaining things and there ere even clubs to help artists improve. I think it's fantastic!

I like to draw and paint digitally, so I have kept a dA account for years for my own art - so far, it has been the best and most reliable way to keep track and preserve my artwork.
I like the way that they allow you to collect and organize you favourites - it's a visual bookmark list, like Pinterest (but before Pinterest), which works SO much better for me than just the regular link list. And I like to make sure that the artists KNOW that their work has been bookmarked. It's kinda nice to view your message center and see that someone likes your work - and you can poke around their favourites folders and see what other things they like, too. I think it's all really fun.

If there are any other deviants on here, I'd love to add you to my watch list! It's always nice to meet a new dA friend.

Thanks for sharing your collections! Very nice stuff there ! I use deviant art to offer my own stuff for download...it's an easy system and I can put it on my blog and share the stuff very easily...those are my main reasons for being there. I am not really participating in any contests, groups etc...that would cost tooooo much time .

Oh wow... I do like Deviant Art... yes... I do, now, have an account there but have not uploaded anything. I have found, though, that I am a digital hoarder, whether it is books or graphics of some sort. I see it, I like it, I save it. Oh, and fonts. Do I remember WHAT I have? Oh, heck no. I so lose track of it all and when I do find something at some point it's like, ohhhh... isn't that cute!! I need to use that somewhere!! Total surprise that I even have it. LOL

How many digital hoarders do we have here?????

Oh, lands... I just followed one of the links and and and.. oh my.... You really had to post those, huh? Thank you!!! Onward, in Deviant Art!!

Oh, Cindy, I am a digital hoarder, too! I hoard so much stuff that my hubby gave me a drive on his computer so I could back it all up. My bookmarks are a terrible mess, too! My dA favourites help keep things sorted, but not by much. Pinterest has become helpful, too. But my computer is a mess - I keep all kinds of "reference" photos because I draw and paint digitally and they are just a mess all over the place. And don't EVEN get me started on my Calibre library! LOL.

I'll admit it, there's a LOT of - well, I'm just going to come out and say it: crap - on dA. Teenagers (and some adults) do a LOT of Mary-Sue-style stories and art, take really bad disposable camera snapshots and post them under studio photography, post hordes of anime fan-art (some of it is good, but a lot of it is bad), and exhibitionists that just want to post themselves naked on the internet, etc. A lot of artists on dA find it irritating, but dA doesn't want to be art police determing what is and isn't art.

That being said, a nice thing about dA is that they have everything cagegorized - so, more than likely, if you're browsing their digital scrapbooking section, you're not going to run into Mary-Sue art or nudity or anime. And they have a maturity filter so that mature images can be blocked (which is what I ALWAYS have it set to). The artists, even the Mary Sue tweens, are pretty good about categorizing things correctly and the community is excellent about making sure that categories are enforced by reporting pieces to be moved to more appropriate locations.

And, while there are dumb kids and bad art on dA, there are TONS of highly skilled artists, industry professionals, and it's my go-to spot for resources like textures, swatches, tutorials, and brushes, etc. Google picks up some of dA's stuff, but most of the time a targeted search on dA produces better results (especially now that they have the "More like this" feature).

So, I agree that there's a bit of an unsavory element in parts of dA, but I would encourage anyone to not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Oh, Mollie, you might be the death of me... LOL!!!!! I haven't cruised dA in a very long time, so I went in search of some PSP brushes. Now, 2 hours later, I'm still downloading and installing new brushes and textures and gradients and...

Thanks for reminding me of what a great resource dA is! And for other PSP users, just do a search for PSP brushes, and you'll find tons of them.

OMG... I have black rings under my eyes today because I spent HOURS last night at deviant art downloading brushes and other goodies.
Then I organized and unzipped and installed them between last night and this morning. All while half-watching/half-listening to an old re-run of Beaches at about 3 am. Needless to say I am sooooo exhausted and it is ALL you guys fault.
Phew. But boy do I have some great new resources.

I have new Paper Making folders and new Actions for my new PSE program. Yipee. I am excited.